1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a strain relief device for use in a telecommunication enclosure, and more particularly to a device for securing a plurality of drop cables in an entrance portion of a telecommunication enclosure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cables, such as telecommunication cables and electrical power distribution cables, are ubiquitous and used for distributing electrical power and all manner of data signals across vast networks. The majority of cables are electrically conductive cables (typically copper), although the use of optical fiber cables is growing rapidly in telecommunication systems as larger and larger amounts of data are transmitted. As cables are routed across power or data networks, it is necessary to periodically open, connect, or splice the cable so that power or data may be distributed to other cables or “branches” of the network. The cable branches may be further distributed until the network reaches individual homes, businesses, offices, and so on.
At each point where the cable is opened, it is necessary to protect the exposed interior of the cable. Commonly, a telecommunication enclosure is used that has one or more entry portions through which cables enter and/or exit the enclosure. The capacity of the enclosure will vary depending upon the number of entry portions in the enclosure, the sizes of the entry portions, the number of cables entering the enclosure, and the sizes and number of cables passing through each entry portion will vary. Often, when smaller diameter cables are used in distribution lines, multiple cables are bundled for placement through a single entry portion. This is particularly common where multiple smaller cables are routed from a single point to multiple locations, such as individual homes, buildings, offices, etc.
In premise installations, a wall mount box or enclosure is usually employed to receive communication devices. Frequently, this type of enclosure is located in basements, communication closets, or service hallways of office buildings, professional suites, hospitals, apartment buildings and the like. Regardless of the number of cables passing through each entry portion of the telecommunication enclosure, it is often desirable or necessary to provide an environmental seal around the cables to prevent the ingress of moisture, dust, insects, and the like into the enclosure.
Preterminated cables having a connector mounted on at least one end of the cable are frequently used in many premise installations to simplify installation of the final service connection to the customer. Frequently, the connector on the end of the cable is substantially larger than the cable diameter. Insertion of the connector through the entry portion of the telecommunication enclosure and the subsequent sealing around the cable can pose a challenge when an environmental seal is needed.
Conventional cable sealing techniques include bundling cables with mastic materials, rubber-like tapes, self-vulcanizing tapes, gels, potting compounds, and the like. The quality of the resulting seal is highly dependent upon the skill of the installer. Thus, the reliability of the seal can be inconsistent from one installer to another. Further, as the number of cables increases, it becomes more difficult to form a reliable environmental seal. Additionally, many conventional sealing methods can present difficulties when re-entering the telecommunication enclosure, such as when adding cables to or removing cables from the cable entry portion of the enclosure. Specifically, the old sealing materials must be removed without damaging the cables, and a new seal must be constructed. The removal and reconstruction of the seal requires the use of additional time and materials, and therefore adds to the cost of maintaining or expanding the network.
To address the disadvantages of seals formed with mastic and rubber-like tape, pre-formed grommets have been used to expand the capacity of cable entry portions of a telecommunication enclosure. Typically, the grommets are designed to fit within an enclosure's entry portion, and have a predetermined number of holes sized to accept multiple smaller diameter cables. However, conventional grommets are not designed to allow the insertion of a modular connector therethrough.
A need exists for a strain relief device that accommodates the installation of preterminated telecommunication cables having a connector on a terminal end of the cable. In addition, the strain relief device should provide a reliable environmental seal around the telecommunication cable regardless of the number of cables installed in the device. Finally, the strain relief device should also allow subsequent addition of one or more new preterminated cables through the entry portion without disturbing the previously installed cables.